Atent office



' May 19,1931.

T. s; FULLER DEVICE FOR DISPENSING PIPE CLEANERS I Filejd March 15,19511 I I I. 111/11 IIIIIIIIII/(III) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIl/I/III/I I INVENTOR.

' 771500m5 5- FILLER ATTORNEY Patented -May 19, 1931" mom-E FULLER-{Fmmewamwmsm V i f nnvren ro'R t a wa -115a V This invention relates todevices for cutting pipe cleaners. e

Among the objects of the presentinventi on,

it is aimed to provide an improved device'for 5 dispensing pipecleaners-which consists of a casing for containing arollof a-flexiblestrand constituting the pipe cleaner material and a mechanism fordischarging a desired length ofpipe cleaner, and cutting off suchdischarged length. Theseland other features, capabilities and advantagesof the invention will appear from the subjoined'detail description ofonespecific embodimentthereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings inwhich" F'gure 1 is a perspective view-of the-improved device with alength of pipe cleaner iextendingtherefrom. l a

' Fig. 2-is a side elevation of the same-with one of-the casing wallsremoved. i

Figure 3 is a section on the 'line 33 of j'ig.

2 withthe removed casing wall in place.:i-

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4 4 of Fig.

2 with the removedcasingwall inrplace.

' In this device there is provided a casingl having a plane rear wall'2and a U-shaped lateral wall-Bland a planeupperwall, These walls 2, 3.and/l may be composed of one piece as illustrated in the present. :in-

" stance as for instanceQLonefOrmed out of bakelite. For this casing 1in, the present instance, there is provided a cover plate 5 similar inshape to the rear wall 2 and preferably secured to the casingby africtional metal flange piece 6 secured to the cover 5 and extendinginto the casing 1 when the cover is in place so that this frictionalflange piece 6 will frictionally engage the inner face of the u-shapedlateral wall 3. This frictional flange piece 6, as clearly illustratedin Fig. 2, when the cover is in place, extends along a part of the innersurface of the upper wall 4 and then continues down along a greater partof the inner face of the U-shaped lateral wall 3. Substantiallycentrally located of the rear wall 2 there is provided a stub shaft 7upon which ismounted a reel 8 of usual construction on which is woundthe pipe cleaner ma- 5 terial 9 which, instead of being formed of a 1Application filed'marcilfls, 1930; s r i l n f ias ng plurality ofpredetermined lengths as" cus tomary today when lmarketing such pipecleaners, consists of an elongated uncut length. Thispipecleanermaterial is of the ,usual type such as a flexible strandcomprisinga'flexiblewire support on which is secured'an absorbent material such ascotton, "or thelikeg e 1 I f' In the-present instance the free'fendofthe pipe cleanerjmaterial extends up past thediso 1 charging mechanismconsisting essentially of knurledj-wheeldOaloosely mounted on a shaft111 which journalled inthebracket 12 secured to the upper" end of thecasing 1 adjacent to the outlet '13 throughj which the 135- pipe cleanermaterial 9 passes when being dis pensed. 1 The lateral wall 3 isprov-idedwith opening 'lt toperinit a portion of the surface of theknurled" wheel 10 to project therethrou'gh'to-fbe engaged by' the fingerof the F or'prope'rly guidingthelength ofthe material tothe wheel? 10{there is provided a shield l5'secure'd to the bracket12 and having. anopening 16 just large 1 enough to per- "m'it thematerial 9 to freelypass therethrough and guide the same intoenga'gement with the face ofthe knurled wheel located inside-of the casing 1. "j I 1 Forf'forming anabutment for impinging S0 thef'pipe cleaner 'materiali9 the knurled'wheello there is providedthe'block 17.

L In the operation. offthisdischarge mechanisrn the pressure of tl'ie'finger cf the user on the wheel 10 will frictionally impinge the 7material 9' against' the shoe 'or block 17 so t-hat when the wheel 10;is'thereupon rolled =or turned by thefinger while'still exercising suchpressure, the material 9 willbe effectively fed upward and outwardthrough the opening 13. After the freeend of the "H12,-

terial 9 extends sufliciently from the "casing i 1 sothatthe user cangrip same, he may wish to pull- "the" material out instead of: operatingthewheel10. In'order'lto facilitate such 5 pullingaction and prevent thesameybeing opposed by the wheel 1Q; there is provided a jspring 18extendinggupwardly from the lower end of: the; vbracket 12 andresiliently pressing the; Wheeli10. putwardly so; that: it will isub- 1stantiall liberate the material 9 to permit it to be reely drawn fromthe casing 1.

After the desired length of material 9 has been discharged or fed out ofthe casing 1, before the same is ready for use as a pipe cleaner, itwill be necessary to cut off such length. In the present instance, ashearing mechanism is provided consisting of the blade 19 pivotallyconnected at 20 to the upperend of the bracket 12 and having an armextending away from-the discharge opening 13 toward the opening 21 throuh which the finger piece 22 formed on the lade 19ex tends. a

In the present instance the bracket 12 is provided with an extension 23extending along the lower face'of the blade 19 and secured beyond theopening 21to the rear wall of the casing 1. On this extension 23 thereis :formed a stud 24 on which is mounted the coiled end 25 of aspringarm 26, the free end of which extends over into engagement with theprojection 27 extending downwardly from the-blade 19. This spring arm 26functions resiliently to maintain the blade 19 clear of the material 9so that the finger piece 22 rests against the rear wall 2 as shown in"Figs. 1, 8 and 4. g

he blade 19 is provided with a shearing i0 0! cutting edge 28 asparticularly illustrated in Fig. 3. This cutting edge 28 is inclinedrelative to the rear wall 2 in order tofacilitate this shearingactionwhen the blade 19 is moved forwardl toward the cover 5 in thisshearing operation. Obviously, to operate this shearing mechanism, it isonly necessary to press the finger piece 22 forwardly toward the cover 5against the tension of the spring arm '26 when the shearing edge 28 willengage the material 9 to cutoff the same just below the opening 13.Releasing the finger ieoe 22 the spring arm 26 will return the lade 19,where the finger piece will again as a check pawl to prevent reverserotation 'of'the wheel 10. If the wheel were not so protected, thestrand 9 might be caused to eed back upon the reel 8 and requirer'ethreadin'g through the shield 20 and opensaid casing, an abutmentdisposed adjacent to said opening, a feeding wheel disposed opposite tosaid abutment to receive the free end of the pipe cleaner material andco-operating with said abutment to feed a length of said materialthrough said opening when said feeding wheel isoperated, a shearingblade pivotally mounted in said casing, said shearing blade having aknife edge disposed adjacent to said opening in position to engage andcut off the, length of material discharged when said shearing blade isoperated, and a spring for engaging said shearing blade normally tomaintain it out of cutting position.

2. In a pipe cleaner dispenser, the combination with a casing, of a reelmounted in said casing for supporting a strand of pipe cleaner material,there being an opening in said casing, an abutment disposed adjacent tosaid opening, a feeding wheel disposed opposite to said abutment toreceive the free end of the pipe cleaner material and co-operatingwith'said abutment to feed a length of said material through saidopening when said feeding wheel is operated, a shearin blade pivotallymounted in said casing, sai shearing blade having a knife edge disposedadjacent to said opening in position to en' gage and cut off the lengthof material discharged when said shearing blade is operated, a springfor engaging said shearing blade normally to maintain it out of cuttingposition, and a second spring co-operating with said feeding wheel topermit the free withdrawal of said pipe cleaner material through saidopening when said feeding wheel is not operated.

THEODORE S. FULLER.

in 21. a a It will also appear from the foregoing that the cutting edge28 of the blade 19 cooperates with the bracket 12 to affect the"shearing action on the strand 9 when the blade 19isactuated.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications inay beg'made tothe details of 3 -mmtisn withoutdepamg ftomthe

